THE ISLAND OF CEYLON- 25 
Such was the situation in which affairs stood between the 
Dutch and the native Ceylonese, towards the commencement 
of the late war. It was now about one hundred and forty 
years since the Portuguese had been finally expelled, and 
no other European power had since that time been able to 
acquire a permanent footing on the island. It is not however 
to be supposed, while the attention of all the nations of Europe 
was so eagerly turned towards the commerce of the East, and 
while they maintained so many violent contests among them- 
selves, that so valuable an acquisition as Ceylon could have 
escaped their notice. Such however was the difficulty of ap- 
proaching that island, except in a very few points, and such 
was the strength of the Dutch, and the weakness of most 
other nations in that quarter of the globe, that very few at- 
tempts were made to wrest it from them. Soon after the 
expulsion of the Portuguese, the French seemed inclined to 
dispute the possession of Ceylon. They appeared off the 
island with a large fleet, entered into a treaty with the native 
prince, and avowed their determination to drive out the Dutch. 
Ail these threatening movements however ended in nothing: 
an enterprise planned without wisdom was executed without 
spirit, and imaginary obstacles prevented the French from even 
attempting to gain a footing on the island. 
An attempt of the English towards the conclusion of the 
American war, was likely to prove more formidable to the 
power of the Dutch in Ceylon. The vigorous enterprise of 
the English had already procured them a great ascendancy in 
E 
